No Child Left Behind
by Red Raider
Summary: Pre-Fallout 3. First person/Third person. Something is in the wastelands, leaving carnage and death in it's wake. Roman Armstrong has seen nothing like this because, whatever or whoever this is, spares the children. It leaves them... but kills the parents
1. Chapter 1

The dark red blood stains are just the beginning. There are limbs and guts strewn about the entire settlement, I can't believe what I'm seeing. The settlement was small, only about thirty – maybe forty – people living here. Several families at least, one for each of the metal shacks. But now this settlement is dead. The bodies of the inhabitants have been ripped apart, making any kind of identification completely impossible. If we had known the settlers well, we probably could have worked who was dead. But we didn't know them, they were just another load of settlers trying to find some place to shack up.

My name is Roman, Roman Armstrong. I have lived in the Wasteland all my life, all forty three years of it, and I've got no where else to live the rest of it, so I guess I'll have to stay put. In my younger years I worked as a merc, taking out hits and slave trading was the general business... survival of the fittest. But the life expectancy of a merc ain't too great, particularly when you start getting older and slower. About ten years ago I moved into Megaton, looking for some honest work. They knew I was a merc, at least Lucas did, but they didn't care. Beggars can't be choosers. Anyway, Lucas put me to work straight away... using my experience.

The Wasteland is a dangerous place, no one is safe, not even if you're holed up in some sealed off vault. I know this. Lucas knows this. But, most people like to forget it when given the first opportunity. Lucas keeps me well fed and I've got a small shack in Megaton, in return I keep a close eye on the goings on in the Wasteland. Any potential threats to Megaton I report, any serious threats anyway.

But this, this was something different. In all my years as a merc I had never seen anything like it. Bodies had been torn apart – arms, legs, heads and torsos were all separated across the settlement. A trader had come across this whilst making his way to Megaton from Canterbury Commons. As soon as he told us about it we made our way down here, that is, Jericho and I.

Jericho wasn't too happy about this, but Lucas wanted the two of us. The only reason Jericho agreed was because he knew he had to earn his place in Megaton, just like the rest of us.

We arrived at the settlement, and it was exactly how the trader had described it. It was unbelievable. Nothing I, or Jericho, had come across was capable of this kind of destruction. Mirelurks will mess you up pretty bad, but not like this... nothing likes this.

"Super Mutants," Jericho suggests.

"No," I know it's not, "They wouldn't do this, there's no point to it. Nothing to be gained."

"Then what?" I notice Jericho is holding his Assault Rifle, ready for anything that might jump out. It hasn't occurred to me to do this, I guess taking all this in has made me forget myself. Stupid mistake. Maybe I am too old for this shit.

"I haven't got a clue," I am completely honest, I know Jericho is clueless as well.

There is another level to the sickness of this whole... fuck, I don't even know what this is... slaughter is the best I can think of, but I've seen slaughters before and then... then there's this. The limbs and guts strewn across the blood soaked ground, no adult was spared. No adult was spared. The children... they were spared.

We see a small figure dart across our vision. Jericho opens fire, thanks to his itchy trigger finger. I stop him, not sure what he hit. The small figure is a child, a small boy barely ten years old. His face says it all...

I've seen faces like that before. I'm not going to play the hero, I'm the reason behind a fair few of those faces. Do I regret it? No, why should I? Business is business. But, for the first time, I feel for this kid. I know he's watched his parents die. I guess I feel for him because what happened here seems so... so pointless. The kid ain't alone, we find a couple others pretty soon... they were just running about the place, so shocked and scared that they weren't thinking straight.

I leave Jericho with the kids as I search the shacks. There's more blood. More limbs. More bodies. More children. Most of them managed to find hiding places in their homes. Some were under their beds, others fitted into closets and so on. Thinking about it, there isn't a child corpse to be seen. None of them have been harmed. And yet their parents and all the other adults... what did this? What could do this?

****

Sandhurst trudged through the mud, he had been trudging all day. The Wasteland was vast and yet it was very lonely as well. Apart from a couple Mole Rats making nuisances of themselves Sandhurst had been completely alone. His outfit was simple, a typical wastelander, and his journey was simple too – get home. But in all honesty, Sandhurst wasn't quite sure where home was. He lived in Arefu, a safe enough settlement when you're in it, but when you're outside it's vicinity...

Sandhurst had been down by the river bank, washing clothing in the radiated waters. He'd have to leave his clothes for a few days before he put them on, to get rid of any unnecessary radiation, but it was worth it. Although, before Sandhurst even noticed, something had hit him hard across the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

Next thing he knew he was in the middle of the Wasteland, everything of value – including his pistol and satchel of caps – was gone and he had nothing but the clothes on his back. And so he had spent the rest of the day wondering the Wasteland, trying to find a way back home.

But the day was drawing to a close, Sandhurst knew he would have to find a safe place to sleep for the night. Maybe under a rock or in a tree, if he could find any abandoned ruins that would be perfect. However he came across nothing and, to his despair, he was faced with spending a night out in the Wasteland... completely alone.

No... Wait... Smoke over that hill. Sandhurst was sure of it, he bounded over the rough terrain and climbed the hill. Soon he heard the crackling of a small camp fire and as he reached the top... Yes! There was someone else, sitting in front of a small man-made fire. Sandhurst raced down the hill and collapsed to all fours in front of the fire. It was so warm, so inviting. The man that had been sitting next to the fire did not move, he had noticed Sandhurst although there was no reason to act just yet.

"Oh, oh, thank you," Sandhurst smiled, he looked up to the man.

The man was well-built and tall, a perfect physique for a survivor and very suitable for the Wasteland. He wore dark and plain clothes. Dark, heavy boots. Dark combat trousers. Dark, large jacket. His hair was wiry and untidy, also suitably dark. But his face, Sandhurst could not see his face. The man wore a mask. Sandhurst did not recognize the mask, it was dark and it's straps reached around the entirety of his head. The eye holes were large and covered a thick, steamed-up glass. At the mouth there was metallic, circular device – it looked like breathing apparatus. Indeed, Sandhurst could hear the heavy, rusty breathing coming from inside the mask. To those before the fallout, this would have been recognized as a standard gas mask of the Second World War...

"Hello, hello there," Sandhurst attempted conversation, "I'm sorry, but I've been wondering all day and I haven't any warmth or... food." This last word was phrased in the hope that maybe this mysterious stranger would have some to spare. However, he remained silent.

"I don't know what happened," Sandhurst reluctantly continued, "I think I might have been kidnapped by raiders, but they left me for some reason. And, now I'm lost."

The man remained silent.

"I hope you can help, I live in Arefu and if you could help me find it then I would reward you most handsomely."

"Arefu." The man spoke. His voice was deep and emotionless, in no way was it as warm and inviting as the fire.

"Yes, yes, yes," Sandhurst confirmed, overwhelmed that his saviour had spoke, "I need to get back, can you help me?"

"Arefu." The man repeated.

"Yes... Arefu," Sandhurst paused, "What's your name? Mine's Sandhurst."

The man paused. And then there was just one... more... word...

"Jake."


	2. Chapter 2

Nova was the perfect woman, or as perfect as you got out here. She had everything a guy like me wanted. Perfectly shaped breasts, full lips and eyes that said 'Anything you want'... for the right price of course. Right now though I didn't give a shit how much she cost me, I'd give her everything for what she could give me. A woman like her, a whore like her, let guys like me forget. For several, incredible minutes, I forgot about that place and whatever had done that... I also forgot that it was still out there.

"All done, hun," She said, it was over all too quickly, it always was, "That'll be forty caps."

"Forty? Ain't it usually fifty."

She smiles back at me, a cheeky smile.

"Discount, hun, you're a regular now."

Regular. I guess that makes it official, I'm like every other loser that Nova's sucked off. I should care, I should feel like a bastard, but no one else does so why should I? Besides, Nova couldn't care less, as long as she got paid.

We head back down into the saloon, there's a couple settlers having a drink and Gob is behind the bar. I've never liked Gob, never liked ghouls full stop, but I know that Gob doesn't like me... and that makes me cautious. The ghoul throws a detesting look as I give Nova her money. I know he wants her, he hates it every time she serves one of us losers and yet she wouldn't even touch him. Nova smiles at me, her business is done and she's soon working on her next customer. I leave her to it and instead sit at the bar. The little pleasures of life are few and far between, especially the honest and respectable ones. I guess that's why people tend to pick on ghouls, it's a nice feeling to bully someone who can't fight back... makes you feel good, makes you feel sure of yourself.

"Drink?" Gob grumbles at me, he doesn't even look at me.

"Whiskey, Gob," I know I'm a complete bastard, but I couldn't care less, "I always have a whiskey after a whore."

I know Gob hates this, that's why I do it. I watch him pour the whisky into the glass, he holds the bottle tight. I wonder what Gob would give to have on night with Nova. For that matter, I wonder what he would give to beat the shit out of me. He places the glass in front of me, there is no eye contact. The ghoul continues to wipe down the bar at the opposite end to where I am sitting. He is not getting away that easy. So, I move to directly in front of him and now he is stuck, he now has to listen to me.

"Whiskey," I smile, "Helps me relax."

"I just serve the drinks," Gob says, "You don't have to talk to me."

"Nonsense, a bit of company goes a long way."

"Then you should have stayed with Nova," This is out of place, I could quite easily knock him down for that kind of talk. But I want him to talk like that, I want his anger to get out of control – it's fun.

"No, Gob," I reply, calm and composed, still smiling, "You don't talk to a whore, but I suppose you wouldn't know, would you?"

Gob makes eye contact, those disgusting eyes stare straight into mine. I know that even a night with Nova could not take away the anger he feels towards me. I stare straight back into his eyes, making sure I hold my smile, and I drink... I drink the whiskey he poured out for me.

A few hours later and I haven't gone far, I'm leaning on the hand rail just outside Moriarty's Saloon. The sun is setting and it's beauty is not lost on even a creep like me. High in the sky the sparkling stars have begun to appear, on the ground the little lights that hang over Megaton are also switched on. The dark depths of space mirror the darkness and coldness of the ground. In between the Earth and the stars is the dying sun, a glimmer of orange light as a final farewell to the day. In only a few moments the day is dead and the night is born.

I stay where I am after the sun has long gone, smoking a cigarette just to keep my fingers busy. Only a few faces are still walking around. A couple kids making nuisances of themselves. They're playing catch with the head of a Mole Rat, first one to drop it is the loser. Despite the head, it's a fun and innocent enough game. A game only kids would play. The mother storms out, shouting and cursing at her children, she pushes them inside their shack.

A thought occurs to me that the only time we have no worries in the world is when we are children. This isn't strictly true, there are a lot of children out there that have to fight for their lives and some that have had theirs taken away from them. I am reminded of the children from the settlement. At the moment, they are all staying in Lucas Simms's shack. As a result there is hardly a free space of floor in that place, but Lucas wants to keep them all together.

Anyway, it's when we become adults that the fun stops and the worries begin... the fight begins. It's kind of cruel that we have a few years of fun and then too many years of paying for it. I don't know, I guess I'm just sour.

"What you thinking?" Lucas Simms appears beside me.

"I'm thinking," I pause, "I'm thinking that I think too much."

Lucas chuckles.

"Yeah," He agrees, "I know that feeling."

"How are they?" I ask about the children.

"Pretty torn up... well, completely torn up. We've had to give most of them sleeping pills, just so that they can get some rest."

I breath in on my cigarette, holding onto the smoke and then releasing it. Relaxing, if nothing else.

"What'd you think is out there?" Lucas asks.

"Fuck knows," Again, I'm completely honest in my answer.

"Jericho hasn't any idea either. Was it really that bad?"

"Worse."

"What can we do about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever it is," Lucas says, "I don't want it turning up in Megaton."

"I hear you."

"I want you... I want you to..."

Lucas doesn't know, he's a good leader although he feels the pressure all too much. He carries the safety of everyone in this place on his back, I carry only my safety... I should feel guilty.

"I'll keep an eye out," I decide for him, "If this thing attacks again, we'll make a decision on what to do."

It's perfect... wait and see. Lucas nods in agreement and takes his leave, continuing on his nightly patrol. I'm also happy with the plan, I've got forty seven caps in the whole world and I'm going to spend it all right now, in Moriarty's Saloon. Seventeen caps for a good night's drinking... thirty caps for Nova to finish the night on a high.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Roman, hey," Nova's voice drags me back into reality, "You owe me another twenty."

I look around, eyes barely open, and I realise I've spent the night in one of Moriarty's rooms, with Nova to keep me company. I'm not sure what I drank last night, whatever it was it knocked me out of it. Shit... this is going to come to a lot.

"Another twenty?" I complain, "I paid you thirty, I'm a regular remember."

"Piss off," Nova can be quite the bitch when she has to be, "What you had me doing last night, others would have charged you eighty, maybe even a hundred."

"I haven't got twenty caps, Nova, so you can be the one to be piss off."

"You owe me, Roman, you dirty bastard."

She's playing with me, I guess Gob told her about how I treated him yesterday. She has a soft spot for Gob, not enough though... that makes me chuckle. Nova doesn't take it any further, I'll pay her the twenty caps just as soon as Lucas gives it to me, she knows this.

Later in the day and I've decided to sit and watch the Church of Atom's service, it amuses me after all. I sit outside the Brass Lantern, eating lunch – two over-cooked sausages and some mash that is as hard as stone. The sun is high in the sky and all is good, or as good as it gets in the Wasteland.

A trader has arrived, I look round the corner to see Moira Brown unloading and loading various supplies, going to and from her store. It's a fairly big trader, three Brahmin is a rare necessity, he's probably come from one of the larger settlements out there. Lucas has come over to check up on the trading, he always does this so nothing too strange there.

I look back at the church service, they're now chanting... lunatics.

Turning back to the agreement and I immediately sense that something is not right, Lucas and the trader are deep in conversation. I approach them, wondering what could be the matter, Lucas sees me and beckons me to join the conversation.

"What's wrong?" I say, knowing that something is.

"This trader," Lucas explains, "Has come from Arefu."

"Evan King," The trader offers his hand in greeting, I ignore it and just give a nod of acknowledgement.

"A settler from Arefu went missing recently," Lucas continues, "And Mr King here has found him in the Wasteland, what's left of him."

"Why should this concern us?" I ask, "People die in the Wasteland every day."

"I know, but the settler's death-

"Sandhurst." King offers.

"Alright, Sandhurst's death sounds similar, too similar for it to be just coincidence."

"How did he die?"

"He was torn apart," King replies, "Something big must have got him, a Mirelurk maybe..."

Lucas and I stare at each other, we both know that the mysterious killer has struck again.

"It was no Mirelurk," I say, "It's not a creature or animal of any kind."

"How do you know?" King asks, taken aback.

"This killer has struck before," I explain, "It took out an entire settlement but... left the children alive. A creature wouldn't have left anyone alive."

"There were no tracks either," Lucas offers, "No claw scratches or a paw prints, it can't be a creature."

"Maybe a robot?"

"No," I dismiss King's suggestion, "A robot would be efficient, ruthless but efficient nonetheless. There's no point in cutting up the bodies like that."

"But, how could a human do that?"

"Probably a lunatic... a lunatic with armour and weaponry."

"I've never heard of anything like that," Lucas says, "But if it is just some crazy out there, they won't be a threat to Megaton."

Lucas's conclusion is the last of it, for him anyway. His responsibility is to Megaton after all, not the Wasteland. But whoever this lunatic is he is the first of his kind. And because of that Lucas lets me travel to Arefu with Evan King.

In my shack, I prepare for the journey ahead, it brings back memories from when I was a merc. My favourite weapon is the .32 pistol, it rests nicely in my grip and I'm pretty accurate. Although a pistol can only do so much, so I have a trusty Hunting Rifle slung over my back and I carry an Assault Rifle in my hands. A long, thick travelling coat accompanied with tough boots completes the preparation. I'm ready for whatever the Wasteland can throw at me.

The journey is slow and difficult, three Brahmin carrying heavy loads are difficult to control when navigating the Wasteland. If we could just stick to what's left of the roads the journey would be so much easier. But roads are too dangerous, traders who stick to the roads are going to be ambushed by Raiders. King knows what he's doing and where we are going. The journey is slow and difficult although we have only had to deal with a few Mole Rats so far, that's a sign of a good navigator.

I swear, if God exists, He's got it in for me. No sooner have I finished contemplating how little trouble we've had, a bullet ricochets off a nearby rock... a near miss. King reacts instantly and crouches next to one of the Brahmin's, rather them than him. As another bullet whistles past us I follow King and get behind Brahmin cover.

There are two snipers, Raiders most likely, and both of them are firing on us from a small hill. They're not too far, far enough to make hitting them very difficult though. My Assault Rifle is useless right now, the range might reach them but even if I hit them the damage would be minimal, nothing a Stimpak couldn't fix anyway. That means the Hunting Rifle is my chosen weapon.

The snipers aren't shooting at us anymore, but I know they haven't given up and so does King. We're hiding behind the Brahmin and the snipers don't want to risk killing them. If they killed a Brahmin then that's a shit load of supplies to carry. They're re-positioning, and I'm waiting for them to. They'll most likely have pre-arranged where they will go, my guess is they'll come behind us. There are a couple of trees and bushes that would hide a sniper well behind us.

CRACK!!

Jesus! That was too close. Pieces of road flew up at me as a sniper's bullet missed by inches. And the bullet came from in front of us. I turn to face the sniper, not waiting for a second shot. I see him. He sacrificed the cover of the trees behind us for the element of surprise. Unfortunately for him his surprise factor didn't pay off and now I've got a straight shot. I'm not going to miss, I'm not that old. My bullet goes right through his chest, he won't be getting up again. King looks at the dead Raider, and then he looks back at me.

"Where's the other one?" He asks.

I'm so stupid, maybe I am too old. Two snipers found out are inevitably going to split up, it doubles their chances instantly.

"The trees!" I cry, turning round again.

It's too late, I can see the sunlight reflect off the sniper rifle's telescopic lens. It's aiming at me, straight for my chest. For a second I truly believe it's all over and that it's all about to end. Oddly enough the feeling that washes over me is not fear or sadness... it's relief.

Before I think on this though, the trees and bushes have lit up in a bright ball of yellow flame. The sniper runs out of his cover, screaming as the flames surround him and provide a slow and horrible death. I don't put him out of his misery, I've seen too many deaths like this and the terror of it no longer has an effect. I do look round to Even King though, and I see that he is wearing a proud smile, with a grenade's pin on his finger.

"I've always had a thing for explosives," King smiles, I get the feeling that a fair few other Raiders have become victims of his explosives as well.

Arefu is a small settlement when compared to Megaton, although it's an average size for any settlement that has lasted longer than a few months. The shacks are all built on a surviving part of what was once a large bridge. Good defensive positioning King explains, although I hasten to add that there's nowhere to run if the enemy break in.

The people are nice enough. Children play innocently and the adults grieve and mourn over Sandhurst's death. King and I have decided not to tell them how Sandhurst died, instead we tell the people that he was the victim of a Giant Ant scout. It's a believable story, mostly Giant Ants stay close to their nests but scouts are generally sent out to map the land.

I don't cause too much disruption, King gets on with unloading his supplies and I sneak off to have a look round. Arefu is a little bigger to the last settlement, although I doubt that would cause much of a problem to our Wasteland lunatic. The fact that an Arefu settler has been killed after the last settlement leads me to think that Arefu might be the next target. But there are no signs that would back up this theory.

There is nothing on the cliff tops, nothing strange or unusual beneath the bridge and Arefu itself is as normal as ever. Maybe I was wrong...

****

Three Brahmin carrying supplies. Two settlers. Two? Only one had left. Who was this new settler?

It didn't matter, every Arefu settler was now in Arefu and anyone who didn't belong there would just have to share their same fate.

Too bad...


	4. Chapter 4

I'd hate to live here, in Arefu. I feel surrounded, surrounded by this endless Wasteland and trapped, trapped being up this high. I've never been one for heights but it's just this nagging thought that keeps prodding me – there's only one way in and one way out.

I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid. I'm standing near the collapsed part of the bridge, just out of the shack area so no one will bother me. The sun is beginning to set. It's funny, it doesn't feel like the same sun I've seen set every evening from inside Megaton. This sun is colder... more harsh. I look down to the river... fuck, it's a long way down. There's a Mole Rat sipping at the radiated water, I wonder if I could get it in the head with my rifle from up here. If this had been any other night, I probably would have tried. But tonight is different. There is something out there...

Screams...

They're coming from Arefu. Shit! There had always been a fear at the back of my mind that I would witness this lunatic first hand. And now I am forced to realise that my fear has become a reality.

I race back to Arefu, Assault Rifle in my hands and ready to fire. I left my Hunting Rifle back in King's shack, although I do still have my .32 pistol with me. There's no gunfire. Only screaming. People running.

I run passed the first shack. A few terrified settlers thunder pass me, they're faces and bodies covered in blood. Jesus... it really is here. Gunfire! I snap back to reality and run towards the guns. However it soon stops, followed by a man's cold and deathly shriek. It was enough though. I run passed a couple more shacks and turn a corner...

A man stands only a few feet away from. He is dressed in dark, heavy clothes and wears a foreboding gas mask. He is surrounding by bodies, or at least, parts of bodies. Blood washes over the floor and various smaller limbs float and bob freely. There are severed heads and carved up torsos that lie in the sea of blood, it is a terrible sight.

I look back at the man... the lunatic...

If this had been twenty years ago I would have shot this guy before he could even move a step. But now I'm slower. I raise my rifle and aim at the man's head, before I even realise it he's charging at me with incredible speed. I haven't even touched the trigger and he's already met me. I go flying through the air, coming to ground with a painful thud. My Assault Rifle has landed several feet away from me, it's out of the fight... for now.

This guy doesn't let up though. He approaches me and kicks me hard while I'm down... what an asshole. His foot goes in again for a second time but I'm expecting it this time. I catch the foot and use the weight of my body to swing this guy around me. He wasn't expecting a little fight and he goes crashing to the ground, that felt good. But I can't hesitate...

Fuck, it doesn't even matter. This guy's already standing and ready to go and I've hardly got my breath back, too many nights in Moriarty's is finally taking it's toll. I take a swing at him, it's a pathetic attempt to catch him off guard and it doesn't pay off. He easily deflects the attack and goes in for the counter, punching twice in the gut. It'll take more than that to floor me, asshole.

****

Jake won't allow it. Jake won't allow anyone or anything to stop the mission. This man will be defeated. This man cannot win. Jake takes what punishment is given out, there is no greater punishment than failure. Jake waits for the opportune moment. Jake doesn't have to wait long.

Blood pours from the man's nose. He lies on the floor, hurt and exhausted. Although he is not defeated... not yet. Jake will finish him. Jake will defeat him.

****

Shit! My whole world shakes and the deafening explosion knocks the shit out of my ears. No doubt one of King's little toys. There's light all around, my eyes are stunned as are the rest of my senses. I start to make out what's directly in front of me – burning rubble, I think – until I'm given another nasty surprise.

The ground cracks open, it's actually opening up and... falling. That's when I remember that we are high up on a bridge, and the explosion has done more damage than good. My sight returns, along with my other senses, and I see before me pieces of road just fall away. The cracks are huge and me and this lunatic are stuck right in the middle of them.

The lunatic is unconscious, he's not the unstoppable killing machine I thought he was then. I step up immediately, and run as fast as I can. My feet thundering on the ground causes it to crumble and fall down to the river, but I'm beating it. I'm running faster than the rubble is falling. Only I thought I was... The rubble catches me only a few feet from the safe and solid concrete. My right foot comes down, expecting to land on road, but it lands on nothing. There is only air and I can feel my whole body start to sink downwards. I stretch my hand out, hoping to catch something... anything...

****

Jake falls through the air. The ground gave way after an explosion. The man... that man who Jake was fighting. This man must be stopped. This man is trying to destroy everything that Jake has worked so hard for. Jake won't let the man stand in the way of completing the mission. The man must die, only then can the mission be continued...

Jake fell from the bridge. There was no scream, there was no need to scream. The hard impact of the splash and then the river washed over Jake. Jake sunk to the bottom. There was no movement.

Lifeless...

****

I stand at the bank of the river, directly beneath Arefu. That strange and impossible man couldn't have survived a fall like that. I feel sorry for him, in a way, or maybe I regret the manner of his death. There were secrets held by him, not least his name and where he was from. I would've also liked to know how he could tear humans apart with his bare hands. There are drugs I suppose, drugs that can make men unnaturally strong but I've never seen anything like what that man achieved. Maybe he found something, a drug or an ingredient possibly. Whatever the reason, the secrets have died with him.

"Who was he?" A young girls voice asks. I turn around and see exactly that, a small, innocent girl. She is barely ten years old from the looks of her, she has bright blonde hair and a fresh face with sparkling eyes.

"Who?" I ask, knowing her answer.

"The man," The little girl replies, "Who was he?"

It's quite incredible, this small girl is the only one that has actually shown an interest in who this guy was. I wonder if I had fallen with this man, would the settlers from Arefu act any different if it was my body lying at the bottom of the river? I was lucky though, there had been a pole that hadn't fallen with the rest of the road and in my last attempt I had caught hold of it. Evan King was by my side and hoisting me up in seconds, after all it was his explosives that caused the road to collapse in the first place.

"What's your name?" I ask the girl.

"Lucy," She replies, "Lucy West."

"Well, Lucy West, don't worry yourself with the businesses of others. Your loyalty and service should be to your family, and only your family."

The words are the truth. In a place this, families need to stick together otherwise you learn how to survive the hard way... like I learned.

The journey back to Megaton is lonely and thoughtful. I find myself questioning the worth of existence, is it worth all this hardship and all this death just to survive? I think of Lucy, it is inevitable that she will encounter hardship many times in her life and there will be deaths that she will have to overcome. Is it worth it? A typical day in the Wasteland is hard enough, and yet we must go through so much to live these days. Is life in the Wasteland really worth killing over?

I know a lot of people have turned to religion. They believe the Wasteland is a test, if you pass you go to heaven and if you fail you go to hell – it's horribly simple. I suppose that's Lucy's only hope, lead as good a life as you can and hope there is an afterlife. Although that doesn't help me much. I was doomed for hell even before I started thinking of an afterlife. So it brings me to the ultimate question – why the hell do I bother?

****

The mission is in danger. The man is trying to stop the mission. The mission cannot fail. The man must be killed.

Something climbs out of the river. A figure. A human figure.

Jake stands up...


End file.
